United States Congressman Henry Cuellar - Representing the 28th District of Texas

Tax Relief

Tax Cuts for Working Families
Everyday, hard-working Americans make hard earned dollars to provide for their families. That's why I support fiscal responsibility tax cuts that serve as an engine of economic growth. In 2009, I was proud to support legislation which created tax cuts for 95% of all hard-working Americans.

Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress in 2009, over $4.2 billion worth of low to middle income tax cuts benefitted Texans across the state, including 274,000 families in the 28th Congressional District.

Learn more about these tax cuts: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204335,00.html


Tax Relief for Americans
I support tax cuts for America’s working families – especially when it leads to economic job growth. That's why I support extending the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts for the middle class. In addition, I support preventing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) from hitting millions of middle income Americans. 

In 2009 I helped pass a $31 million dollar tax extender bill through the House of Representatives.  The individual tax deductions will bring an estimated $5 billion worth of tax credits back to Americans, providing up to 30 million homeowners with property tax relief, 4.5 million families with college tuition-related deductions and saves 3.4 million teachers money for their classroom expenses.

The bill also extends a tax credit for small businesses who continue to pay National Guard and Reserve employees when they are called up to serve.

Empowerment Zones
In Texas, our rural communities face a unique set of challenges. That's why I strongly support and sponsored several parts of important legislation extend tax credits for Texas’ low-income rural and urban community “Empowerment Zones.” These areas can apply to receive favorable tax credits to boost local job growth and stimulate local economies, jobs and development.

Parts of the Rio Grande Valley and the City of Cotulla, Texas are considered “Empowerment Zones” and currently Cotulla receives these tax breaks within the 28th Congressional District.

Tax breaks to underserved communities give them the leg up they need to spawn growth in their communities. Saving tax dollars means more money can be invested in the community to attract development and spawn economic growth within their cities.

The extensions would also serve as a boon to the sluggish real estate and retail development markets, providing property tax credits for homeowners and $5 billion worth of incentives to encourage improvements to retail stores, constructions of restaurants and improvements to local development.

Learn more about Empowerment Zones here: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/ezec/About/taxincentives2003.pdf



Common Sense Tax Credits
In 2009, I introduced H.R. 4201, a bill that extends charitable donations of books to public book inventories.  We should continue to encourage and provide tax incentives to Americans who aim to improve education opportunities for our nation’s children.

I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 3758, the Teacher Tax Relief Act, which would permanently increase the maximum deduction teachers are allowed to claim for the purchase of classroom supplies from $250 to $500.

Our teachers spend hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets every year on materials they and their students need in order to facilitate the learning process. In fact, according to the National School Supply and Equipment Association, during the 2005-2006 school year, teachers spent an average of $826 for supplies and $926 for instructional materials-for a total of $1,752.

With state education budgets being slashed around the country, teachers will again be called upon to purchase the supplies needed to help educate our children, and H.R. 3758 will lift some of this financial burden off their backs.